Why primary care innovation was long overdue

It’s Monday morning and there are 100 calls in the phone queue already — it’s only 08:15. Most of the patients waiting won’t get the help they need. Routine appointment slots are booked out for the next four weeks; half of them have the bare minimum information, some might only have a full stop. First come, first served. That’s the way it’s always been.

In many ways, the NHS has been torn between the traditional processes embraced since its founding 72 years ago and the demands of 21st-century patients. An ageing, complex patient population —...